Spirits and shamans

According to many Indigenous peoples’ beliefs, every person, animal, plant and object is inhabited by a spirit. This is called Animism or an animist religion. Over the course of their lives, people come into contact with many spirits and it is very important for them to have a harmonious relationship with the spirits around them. In this sort of religion, life continues after death. When a person dies, his or her spirit will join the other people, animals and plants that already belong to the spirit world.

Shamans

Every nation has at least one Shaman . A Shaman is an expert on the spirit world. Through the rituals he performs, he can come into contact with the spirits and acquire great power. According to Indigenous peoples’ beliefs, a is able to prevent illness and suggest remedies to those who are sick. Some shamans specialize in certain areas such as finding missing persons or objects, or finding game for hunting.